EA Sports released their much anticipated NHL12 today. Reviews and reports of game play/mechanics have been trickling in on my twitetr feed today, some of which I have decided to share. Apparently EA has gotten quite clever with this iteration and the "Be a GM" game mode hides some rather idiosyncratic quirks and pitfalls.

When you try and make a trade, it occurs and then the next time you play the game it's rejected, your player is returned with a rating 5 points lower. The only way to rid over-priced players is buy them out and put them in the minors.

Flames GM:

Every time you make a trade Olli Jokinen is added on. When he's on your roster he goes out, when you try and fill the hole, he comes back with the other players as well.

Canucks GM:

All loading screens are on fire. When Luongo allows more than two goals random fans spontaneously combust. If you make it to GM 7 of the final the screen gets increasingly filled with riot smoke until you cannot see and thus lose the game.

Leafs GM:

You cannot proceed to actually playing the game because you're constantly required to first play a Tetris-like "Plan the Stanley Cup parade route"

Jets GM:

You never actually play in Winnipeg, Bettman just randomly moves the team around to non-NHL market, global destinations. "Nairobi Jets"

oilers - everytime the gm or coach speaks the words "we are a playoff team" you automatically get 1st overall pick.

toronto - no actual game play just video of ron wilson and brian burke doing interviews, both angrily of course.

calgary - jay feaster as pacman chasing the little white pills that are the playoffs. the ghosts are the players with no trade clauses, killing his dream. *special feature of farm report narrated by a sutter.

vancouver - burrows and kesler are constantly taking time time off to compete in diving events.

winnipeg - the gm is actually replaced by individual wives of players and they decide the fate of trades. dependant upon weather and shopping venues.

You'd think by now they could've overcome that skating cardboard cut out on ice look in these computer games. Where's the 3D look to these arenas and players. I'm sure the Madden NFL must be better than hockey.

Back in the day E.A was the only way I had to evaluate trades.As soon as I heard about a move I would dash to the Sega to see who we got.However I quickly learned not to trust the player ratings.No way Gary Suter was only 2pts better than Zalapsky.

Be a GM: Edmonton
-cannot exit "rebuild" mode
-prospects to player ratio set too high at 50:1
-Khabibulin's walker obstructs his glove hand from use
-trade mode tries to return players previously dealt

Be a GM: Montreal
-"nostalgia" mode setting can't be turned off
-media won't respond to anything other than French
-goalie's names constantly appear in trade rumours if their GAA is more than 2.50; they are in their last year of contract; or the team is at any point below .500
-prospects must play a minimum of 150 AHL games before being called up, and then, must average at least a point per game or be sent down again